New Torquay childcare centre invites families to visit

“There’s no silly or wrong question that a parent can ask when thinking of booking their children into childcare,” says Thilini Herath, a Geelong mother of two.

Her advice to families is to visit the centre you’re considering so you can meet the room educators and leaders who will care for your child, and ask them questions.

A qualified childcare educator, Thilini understands childcare and early learning centres from the inside. Her first consideration when working with children is their health and safety; her passion is engaging children with their learning and development.

“My philosophy is to give children the best possible opportunity to learn through play while making them feel involved and cared for,” she says. “We live in a diverse community, so I also make sure children feel that all cultures are recognised and respected.”

After joining Torquay YMCA Early Learning Centre and going on a tour of the Centre, Thilini decided to book her own eight-month-old daughter into the Centre.

“It’s a great centre, very well organised,” she says. “I love the way they’ve arranged the rooms.”

Thilini is part of the Centre’s team of caring and professional educators who work in six rooms named after local Surf Coast beaches. Activities include computer coding, a huge interactive touchscreen, bushkinder, and community excursions. Children can choose to play indoors or outdoors, with big outdoor spaces containing a vegie garden, herb garden, chickens and a firepit.

Adam Kavanagh, centre manager at Torquay YMCA Early Learning Centre, says the response from families who have toured the Centre has been very positive.

“Families have been really enthusiastic about the nature-inspired outdoor play area, which emphasises natural materials rather than plastic,” he said. “Children will be encouraged to look after the garden. They’ll gather eggs in the morning, take them to the kitchen, and eat them for lunch.”

The Centre officially opened on Monday 9 October. Its Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday 7 October attracted more than 100 people keen to see what the Centre offers.

“We’ve just moved from Melbourne and we love Torquay’s outdoor vibe,” said local dad Luke, who visited with his family on open day. “We also love how the centre is so close to the school, it means one drop off.”

Families were impressed by the educators, describing them as “warm, friendly”, “engaged and caring”. One visitor said she loved that children would have plenty of opportunities to use their imagination, for example in craft activities, and to play outside.

“Families who’d like to tour the Centreare invited to contact me on 8371 0550 or at [email protected],” says centre manager Adam. “We’ll be happy to show you around and answer all your questions.”